Gwent single-player campaign coming later this year

The "Thronebreaker" campaign will star the queen of Rivia. Meanwhile, a new esports league starts in September.

You might expect that the single-player campaign mode for the Witcher-based CCG Gwent would be all about Geralt, the titular Witcher, or at the very least one of his better-known buddies, like maybe Dandelion or Zoltan. But it will in fact tell a tale of Meve, the widowed queen of Lyria and Rivia, who sets out on "a dark journey of destruction and revenge" when people start messing with her stuff.

Meve has only been referenced in passing in The Witcher trilogy, but according to the Witcher Wiki she has a direct and meaningful connection to Geralt: She knighted him for his valor at the Battle for the Bridge on the Yaruga during the second war with Nilfgaard, which is how he became known as Geralt of Rivia.

How the new Thronebreaker campaign will fit into The Witcher's game continuity remains to be seen, but CD Projekt said players will "explore new and never before seen parts of The Witcher world, embark on thought-provoking quests, gather resources, and engage in custom-made story battles, which twist the game’s rules in wildly unexpected ways." A release date hasn't been set, but CD Projekt said it will be out later this year.

The studio also announced the coming kickoff of the new Gwent Masters esports series today, saying that it's intended to "elevate competitive Gwent to a professional level and give gamers the opportunity to become the best Gwent players in the world." It will begin with a seasonal Pro Ladder, which will run independently of regular competitive play; qualifying players will then battle for a share of $25,000 Gwent Open, $100,000 Gwent Challenger, and $250,000 Gwent World Masters tournaments.

The Gwent Masters Pro Ladder season will get underway on September 1. A quick rundown of what's what can be had in the video below, and full details are up at masters.playgwent.com.